Banks are going to need to make hard decisions to exit some traditional businesses. The question is how to do it to maximize what you get at the exit, and in such a way that remaining businesses can thrive.

Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty will introduce legislation that will give the federal government the ability to approve or cancel planned purchases by the nation's top banks, he told CTV television.

Joseph Longino, the point man on accounting and regulatory matters at Sandler O'Neill & Partners LP, will join the advisory council of the Financial Accounting Standards Board next year.

Bank of Ireland, the nation's largest bank by assets, may sell Burdale Finance, a unit at that extends loans secured against assets, to Wells Fargo, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

Park National in Ohio, is selling its most of its Florida operations for a fraction of what it paid for the bank in 2007. Analysts say this closes a bad chapter for the company, which could re-emerge as a buyer in the next few years.

The Fed's approval marks the first time a prepaid card company has been allowed to buy a bank. Fed Gov. Duke objected, warning that the deal was too risky.

BNC Bancorp in Thomasville, N.C., announced Wednesday that it would close four of the 10 branches it inherited last month when it acquired the failed Blue Ridge Savings Bank of Asheville, N.C.

Portfolio Recovery Associates (PRA) Inc., a Norfolk, Va.-based debt buyer, has formed a new subsidiary, PRA Professional Services LLC, to provide auditing and revenue discovery in the private sector.

Deutsche Bank AG on Tuesday signaled that it might sell large parts of its asset management division, saying the activities are under review as changes in the regulatory as well as competitive landscape and associated costs are affecting the business and growth prospects.

Mary Lynn Lenz will lose her job as CEO of Professional Business Bank after it merges with another California bank. In the bank M&A world, that's a compliment. More opportunities await turnaround artists like her in deals-rich California.

Big banks can win on price, but small banks say commercial lending is too attractive to give up on. Some community bankers are hunting for customers that bigger banks might discount and for loan officers displaced by M&A.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. is buying a 4.7% stake in the London Metal Exchange from bankrupt broker MF Global Holdings for GBP25 million ($39 million), three people familiar with the matter said Tuesday.

Bridge Bancorp Inc. in Bridgehampton, N.Y., said late Monday that it will raise up to $10 million by selling common stock.

Consumer groups applaud agency's decision to allow more time for comment on Cap One's deal for the credit card portfolio of HSBC.

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Final bids for RBS Aviation Capital, the aircraft leasing business being sold by Royal Bank of Scotland PLC, are due in early December, a person familiar with the situation told Dow Jones Newswires on Monday.

Heightened regulation is forcing more bank buyers to overhaul their entire computer platform as regulators zero in on a greater need for compliance.

Banks and others involved in buying and selling loans have won some battles and lost others relating to Dodd-Frank implementing rules. The next fight is over how tough to treat the cash-loan market.

Citizens Financial Group Inc. in Providence, R.I., is eliminating underutilized branches and laying off dozens of employees across its 12-state market area as part of a broader effort to trim overhead and improve efficiency.

While B of A nips and tucks as it struggles to meet new capital requirements, JPMorgan Chase bemoans the severity of the rules from a position of relative strength, and hints at the rationale for the behemoths to dismantle themselves.